NTAC deploys more volunteers to Grenada, Sierra Leone to bridge gaps
Volunteers
By Maureen Okon
Abuja, Sept. 21, 2026 (NAN) The Nigerian Technical Aid Corps (NTAC) has deployed 12 Technical Aid Corps (TAC) volunteers to Grenada and Sierra Leone to provide technical support and help bridge critical manpower gaps.
The Director-General of the corps, Dr Yusuf Yakub, disclosed this on Monday at a pre-departure briefing for nine volunteers heading to Sierra Leone.
Yakub said three volunteers were deployed to Grenada on Saturday and arrived safely in the Caribbean country on Sunday.
He commended President Bola Tinubu for supporting the revival of NTAC and its operations.
“Let me first appreciate Mr President for giving us the ability, encouragement and support to bring back NTAC to life and operate at its peak,” he said.
Yakub described NTAC as an instrument of Nigeria’s soft-power diplomacy through which the country deploys experts to African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries to share knowledge and provide technical services.
He said the programme also helped Nigeria strengthen relations and expand its reach among the community of nations.
“I am very proud that Nigeria is a great country because Nigeria is the only country in Africa that has been running a programme like this for the past 38 years non-stop, and also among the few in the world,” he said.
Yakub expressed confidence that the volunteers deployed to Sierra Leone would make a positive impact in their host country, as their predecessors had done.
He also clarified reports concerning the weekend deployment, saying the volunteers were sent to Grenada, not Trinidad and Tobago.
According to him, the increased pace of NTAC deployments since he assumed office on Aug. 25, 2023, was driven by Tinubu’s foreign policy direction.
He cited the administration’s 4D foreign policy framework of Democracy, Development, Demography and Diaspora as a major driver.
“The drive is President Tinubu, who has a great love for soft-power diplomacy, who is always out there talking to nations, making friends and attracting development to our country.
“He also wants to contribute to the development of other nations,” he said.
Yakub recalled that following Tinubu’s visit to Saint Lucia, where he met with Caribbean prime ministers and foreign ministers, the President directed NTAC to provide technical support to address critical gaps in the region.
He said the corps had continued to implement the directive, including the latest deployment to Grenada.
Amb. Bello Jaye, NTAC Director of Programmes, said the selection of TAC volunteers was conducted through a structured recruitment process managed by the agency.
He said applicants were required to possess skills in areas requested by partner countries, including education, healthcare, engineering, ICT, agriculture and technical and artisanal trades.
Jaye said the process enabled the agency to select qualified experts from thousands of applicants across the six geopolitical zones.
He described the process as transparent and merit-based.
Prof. Zaruwa Moses, Team Lead of the Sierra Leone-bound volunteers and a Pharmacology and Clinical Psychology expert, assured that the team would uphold Nigeria’s image during their assignment.
He expressed appreciation to NTAC for the opportunity to serve the country.
“Thousands of experts applied and, after the screening process, some of us were selected to represent Nigeria in this capacity,” he said.
Zaruwa said the team, comprising medical experts and other specialists, had bonded and was ready to deliver on its mandate in Sierra Leone.
“We want to assure you that this team will make Nigeria very proud,” he said.
Prof. Ibrahim Bako, a Professor of Physiology at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and Nurse Modupeola Ajala also commended the programme and thanked the administration for the opportunity. (NAN)
ETIM/YEE
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(Edited by Emmanuel Yashim)